Simon Hendrik Spoor

Simon Hendrik Spoor ( born January 12, 1902 in Amsterdam, † May 25, 1949 in Batavia ) was the commander of the land forces in Niederländisch-Indien/Indonesien in the years 1946 to 1949 He was the son of Andreas Peter Spoor, concertmaster and conductor of the. Concertgebouw orchestra, and Catharina Petronella Jautze.

Career

In 1923 becomes an officer, Spoor made ​​a career in the Royal Dutch Indian Army ( KNIL ). In the meantime, he was for a time teacher at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. In 1943 he became director of the Dutch Military Intelligence ( NEFIS ) in Australia. His appointment as Army Commander in Indonesia in the range a major general ( temporary lieutenant general) in January 1946. In this capacity, he directed the operations against the Indonesian nationalists, of which the police actions in 1947 and 1948 are the best known.

On May 20, 1949 Spoor still took lunch in the restaurant of the Yacht Club in Tanjung Priok one; three days later he got a serious heart condition, where he died two days later. He was only 47 years old. The table companions of Spoor, his aide Captain Smulders and the main military chaplain Verhoeven, had become seriously ill after lunch also. Smulders was three days in a coma, and Verhoeven has been associated with the troop transport " Grote Beer " for further treatment in the Netherlands. The other guests who had eaten exactly the same, complained of no consequence. A random bacterial food poisoning was therefore excluded. Since the body of Spoor was not dissected, his death remained surrounded by rumors, allegations that it should be related to the "cause Aernout ensign ", a corruption investigation at the top of the KNIL.

At the time of the death of Spoor ready an early end to the Dutch presence loomed in Indonesia. Shortly before his death he was still promoted to four- star general.

Marriages

Spoor was married three times:

From the first marriage comes a son, André Spoor.

Awards

General Spoor has received several awards, among which are:

• The Bronze Lion at May 9, 1949
• The Medal of Freedom of the United States
• The Military Willems- Order ( posthumously )

The medals were donated to the museum by his widow Bronbeek in April 2009, where his uniform was already issued.

In Ermelo is a General Spoor barracks in which lie the 45th Armored Infantry Battalion, Infantry Regiment Oranje Gelderland ( RIOG ) and the 400th Medical Battalion